How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
Reef tank 9 years ago 385,303 views
How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way If you haven't seen my website in a while, take a look: **** www.AtReef.com **** AtReef on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/atreefs/ AtReef on twitter: https://twitter.com/at_reef Hello and thank you for stopping by. this has been a long process for me but at the end of the day it was worth waiting for it. please watch this video and enjoy. -~-~~-~~~-~~-~- Please watch: "Never ASK ALEXA These Questions or You Will Regret It" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBd7LTmWaqU -~-~~-~~~-~~-~-
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Looks great.
1. i want to start up a small 30 gal reef im a beginner when it comes to corals. would i be able to sustain a decent "Beginner" reef with a canister filter and proteins skimmer
2.my previous tank was a 55 gal FOWLER would it be alright for me to use a filter for a tank that much bigger than a 30 gal?
i would think if anything it would be good right?
i guess im just curious if the flow would be too much for a 30 gal...
same deal with the protein skimmer....
some one help _
10. comment for How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
20. comment for How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
30. comment for How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
I really wish I went with all this nice equipment the first time I set up my reef because I've probably spent just as much, if not MORE, on multiple replacements of the cheap china made crap and had a lot of fish deaths and traumatic mistakes that could've been avoided. THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY to set up a clean, pristine, easy to maintain reef IF you want to keep sensitive SPS corals and rarely have to do water changes and be able to maintain a healthy fish bioload.
He probably started his hobby the way most of us did, buying cheap crap that doesn't last more than a year before it breaks, overheats, smokes, or explodes, etc, killing precious (expensive) animals, and making us almost lose hope in the hobby. I've lost hundreds of dollars in fish, invertebrates and corals that could've been avoided if I watched this video 10 YEARS AGO and learned from everyone's mistakes that I'm also trying to warn you about now. Please listen! #fishlivesmatter
And, if you manage to set it all up pretty cheap, then go out and spend (literally) hundreds, or even thousands of dollars on the fish and corals you want, it looks amazing for a few weeks, but any ONE piece of equipment failing will KILL it all and you will have to spend twice as much to restart. This happened to me and MANY others, no joke. Faulty heaters staying on and boiling the tank to death, a return pump failing and billowing black smoke and polluting the water and your indoor air, house structure damaged by leaking water flooding the floors, faulty equipment electrocution, the list goes on. If you are at the beginning seriously take this into consideration and save your money until you can do it right and appreciate a perfect, worry-free tank. Otherwise you will hate yourself for not just spending the money, trust me, I know.
Sure, some things he could've cut back the cost slightly, like building the tank, sump and stand himself (see the King of DIY), and other minor things, but the pumps like the ecotech ones and a GOOD HEATER are important, unavoidable expenses. I would've even gone a step further and a backup battery to the whole thing for long power outages, on top of anything ecotech or apex has.
Honestly, reefkeeping is amazing, beautiful, and therapeutic, but it is NOT a CHEAP hobby. Great video, man. Your tank is so clean and will be amazing for years to come. :-)
Bigger aquarium, RODI filter, skimmer, water pump, lighting, heater, wavemaker, and live rocks are the only things you need. The first 3 items are where most of your money should go. The more important aspects of marine aquarium are the maintenance parts and research. No overfeeding, no overstocking, frequent water change+parameter reading. Make sure the corals and the fish are compatible with each other and with your aquarium condition (strong vs weak current/lighting)
Once you're done with the main tank, you can invest on a refugium and a quarantine tank.
Then.. maybe you can start adding stuffs that he mentioned in this video
50. comment for How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
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also your skimmer is set up poorly - it just throws out water ... you might not have enough "pollution" for it to work anyway but if it works it should throw out brown (really stinky) shit ... not yellowish water
1. RO unit from watergeneral $100 5 stage (amazing investment)
2. Skimmer - - Reef octopus - outstanding, cost effective, and works at a fraction of the price. You do not need a deltec or bubble king they all work the same.
3. If you can't afford vortech - purchase 2 jebao controllable pumps. they work.
4. 1 sea swirl - this will give you random water flow all the time without the guess work. Its expensive but amazing.
5. Tank - buy wide tank so you can have less light. For example - my tank is 42"L X 26"W X 24"T - with 2 radions led fixtures.
6. You do not need a $350 return pump vectra pump - it own't bring you more success than a cheap pump!. Mag pumps are just as reliable and a lot cheaper. plus you can always use them for mixing saltwater later. I bought mine in 2002 and still using it for this reason.
7. Buy Dry rock that does not have to be cured and is cheaper, free of pest, and will turn into LR in no time. REEF saver rock is fine. seed it with clean rock from someone else tank.
8. You can build your own stand, diy sump,
Save up - take your time, and do it right. All you need is to learn how to keep water..
100. comment for How to Start a Reef Aquarium The Right Way
I have a small reef tank. check it out.
sorry Im crap with the internet.
its on YouTube
type in Jewel Rio 125 Marine reef tank.
And stop saying "I gotta say it's absolutely fantastic!!!" cuz it's not
And that's a fact!
Step 1: Take out a $20000 Loan
Step 2: Order the most expensive equipment
Step 3: Set up and enjoy your 70 gal tank.
Looks amazing.
UV sterilizer not absolutely required
No need to cycle dry rock
Windex has ammonia, be careful there
No need to aerate the water in a new system
Ditch the clarifier
Auto feeder not required
To get started you can use hose barb elbows and hose vs. hard plumbing everything
This is a multi-thousand $ system just to warn people!! A lot of overkill based on personal preference. You could easily run a 125g+ system with this setup.
Thanks for sharing, I subscribed as this is the first vid I've seen. Congrats!
Running a proper nano tank, perhaps opposite to what you'd think, should
be left to experienced pros in the hobby; The larger the tank, the easier it is.
In a small nano, crashes happen overnight and are total crashes. A larger tank can "crash"
over a couple days.
Bottom line though, salt water reefing the proper way is not cheap
https://www.amazon.com/Pentek-MG-10MCB-Microguard-Carbon-Cartridge/dp/B005VPOBRC
It isn't smart to spend a huge amount of money at the beginning. You need to take your time and get your feet wet and figure out if it is for you first. Now, if you have money to throw away.. go ahead. But I am so glad I took my time. To me, even if I have to upgrade equipment later on, I am so glad I started this way first and then figured my way around the hobby. Besides.... All the stuff I have now....I won't reuse one single piece of it when I upgrade later one. So I would be replacing every piece of equipment regardless if I had spent a ton of money or not.
I just bought a 60 Gal tank and stand from Petsmart. Did all hang on back stuff. HOB Protein skimmer, canister filter, heater, a couple powerheads(ordered off amazon).
Just get some live sand, some rock (dry or live, your preference). You can either get RODI water from your LFS, you can mix your own, or you are able to use tap, but just make sure you use a dechlorinator and conditioner to remove the harmful stuff. It really is not nearly as difficult as this seems. What he is doing is what a person does after they have a very good amount of time of previous experience.
You will find that once you start this hobby....eventually you will be doing what this guy is. building your own, doing an awesome sump and lighting set up. You shouldn't spend THIS much money on your first beginner tank.
You can even do a Nano all-in-one. I just bought my second tank. It is a fluval Evo 12. Love it. It is made for saltwater. comes with literally everything you need as far as lighting and filtration goes. all you will need is a heater, sand, rock, saltwater. I also recommend using DR. Tim's one and only nitrifying bacteria. 1/3 the bottle each day for three days to start the cycle. If you want more help, feel free to message me. I can give you some awesome recommendations and references that I have used to help me get started. I'm new to the hobby to.
The biggest thing to remember is that it is not hard. It IS a lot of information. but you just need to take it one step at a time and you will see it really isn't that difficult at all.
I see a lot of comments on how much this costs .things cost money- sometimes a lot of money. I'm sure that this could've cost less- then again maybe not.
Take a shot every time he says quality or fantastic
where are you getting your livestock?
~David
Thanks
good". I would also check the building quality as well. please check the seams very close, and leak test it before you put it in your house as I seen many disaster. If I could go back I would pay the extra money and had primo reef make my tank as well. wish you all the best and keep reefing
i will add more light as i add more coral but as of know i think this will do, i am not just sure to add more led or add a t5, as the stand i am thinking to get a cabinet that has access from all side.